12.10: The Focus of This Chapter

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Jim Marteney
Los Angeles Valley College via ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)

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In this chapter I wanted to look at intelligence, thinking, literacy and how these interact with each other to make us “smart.”

There is a difference between thinking and intelligence. Intelligence seems to be based on how our brains are “wired.” Different kinds of intelligence suggest there are different types of “wiring.”
Thinking is the skill in how we use our intellectual “wiring.” Since thinking is a skill, we all can improve our ability at critical thinking. No matter what our initial intelligence suggests, we can improve our critical thinking.
Being “smart’ is not just a high intelligent score. Being “smart” occurs when you effectively combine your intelligence with your knowledge and guide them with your thinking skills.